On Saturday night a couple visited the Royal Opera House to watch Swan Lake. They had purchased tickets from Stub Hub for £175, but on arrival realized that they had been sold lower slips tickets with a face value of £6. Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence at the Royal Opera House, and for other venues where tickets are much in demand. It’s disappointing for the customers who have been exploited, and it’s frustrating for us to see our audiences deceived in this way. I wrote a blog post last year when the question of ticket touting was in the news, and reflected on the position of publicly-funded theatres who aim to make highly sought after tickets affordable, only to see the unscrupulous sell them on for profit.

I’m pleased to report that the government has taken the issue seriously, and last week the Consumer Rights Bill was passed. These new regulations will require sellers and marketplaces to give more information about the ticket being resold, including face value, any restrictions on use and the location of the ticket. Sellers will be fined up to £5,000 if they break these rules, and we will be required to report any abuses we are notified of.

Please continue to take care when buying tickets online, and only purchase seats from the ROH or one of our authorized agents. If a performance is sold out, it is always worth checking the website for returns, or (if the production is on the main stage) queuing for one of 67 day tickets, available for each and every performance, however much in demand. We look forward to the implementation of the new law and hope that it will result in fewer disappointed customers.

Glass is one of the world's most popular living composers, writing for film and the stage as well as having collaborated with artists as diverse as David Bowie, Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen, and Paul Simon over a long and distinguished career.

'My aim is to be a populist,' the composer told presenter John Humphrys. 'I looked around at my friends who are painters, film-makers and writers and they had large audiences, but not the composers. I couldn't figure that out. People didn't have their music in our consciousness, and I thought there was something absolutely wrong about that.

'My generation were the ones that rebelled so to speak. We rebelled at the restrictions that were put on us by academic music. When I came back from living in New York I was 30 years old and I began playing again and finding my audience. I didn't play in a concert hall for five years. My music wasn't considered important enough to do that. By '76 I had an opera - Einstein on the Beach. That happened in an extremely short period of time, which tells me there was a vacuum existing in the music world that was ready to be filled. That style of music has seeped into commercial music. You hear it in films, you hear it when you're watching ads on the television.'

Glass believes that artists should be given more assistance by the state: 'In my country and here as well, I don't think there's a lot of government support for artists; you may support institutions, but that's not the people who work in the place. I was able to give up my day job finally when I was 41, which I thought was great [but until then] I moved furniture, I did a lot of things. We need the music of younger people. The music I'm hearing of the kids that are in their 30s is fantastic music; it's full of imagination, it seems fresh and it's enchanting music. I'm seeing a generation of composers now who are idealists in that they're not worried about making a living because they won't. They pour their hearts and souls into this stuff.'

The composer doesn't believe that audiences should concern themselves with the theory-based inner workings of his compositions: 'It's like asking a doctor to explain how the medicine works that you're taking. It doesn't matter does it? If it works, it works. How I write the music is not your concern, the question is, "Does it have an emotional shape or appeal to you?", "Does it tell you about the world in some way?"'

'I sometimes call it a nervous habit,' says Glass of continuing to write prolifically, even in his late 70s. 'What my life has taught me is that if I write the music that I believe in and I hold onto that, I will do alright.'

The first draft of the curriculum proposed by the government was widely challenged by arts audiences and institutions alike, with changes to drama, dance and design technology criticized as marginalizing arts-based subjects.

We spoke to schools and arts organizations across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and North Kent to explore barriers and opportunities they face daily with cultural education. Among other conclusions the report found that:

Even the most enthusiastic schools are, on the whole, reactive in terms of cultural engagement.

Secondary schools make fewer visits to cultural organizations than primary schools. They're also less likely to incorporate arts-based learning into the wider curriculum.

Key barriers to cultural engagement included a lack of time to arrange activities, funds and specialist expertise. Another barrier was a lack of status for arts-based subjects.

These findings in turn led to a number of recommendations to improve the provision and status for arts-based subjects:

'Cultural champion' schools need to support other schools and communication should be improved.

The arts sector must engage in more vocational education for 14-19-year-olds. Expertise and best practice should be shared across the arts, from film and performance to museums and galleries.

When inspired, young people can act as cultural ambassadors among their peers.

In short, there is a vital role for Bridge organizations in engaging with schools, supporting them and brokering relationships with cultural organizations. If we don’t support our young people in developing an appreciation of the arts they will be missing out on a key element of their education.

It has been revealed in a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) that the arts contributes an estimated £5.9 billion of value to the economy annually, and nationally is a £12.4-billion industry making a significant impact on employment and tourism.

The research comes as no surprise. Here at the Royal Opera House we're experiencing huge public interest in opera and ballet. So far this Season, The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera have played to houses averaging 97% attendance with - to use just one production as an example - 108,000 people seeing The Nutcracker either here or in their local cinema. We're not alone either: despite the challenging economic climate, across the UK, the number of people who experience and/or take part in the arts each year has risen to a record 78%.

We continue to broaden our audiences because we believe that the arts inspire, uplift and (above all) enrich people’s lives. But we also recognize the responsibility that prestigious and iconic cultural organizations carry to grow the visitor economy and seizing international opportunities.

The CEBR report reveals that 32% of visits to the UK involved some engagement with the arts and culture, with an annual additional impact of £856m. Through cinemas (we broadcast to 900 screens across 32 countries), digital activity (such as the recent Royal Opera LIVE streaming day) and initiatives such as our recent visits to Brazil and Tasmania, we continue to fly the flag for UK culture.

All this is possible through consistent investment from Arts Council England and through the revenues we generate through ticket sales, commercial activity and generous private philanthropy (just over £3 for every £1 of public support).

The report also touches on the valuable contribution that cultural organizations can make to revitalizing communities. It is possible to rebalance economies that have seen traditional industry decline and move towards a knowledge-based economic model. As we're seeing in Thurrock and the Thames Gateway since the creation of the High House Production Park, and since the establishment of ROH Bridge; placing the arts at the heart of a community can raise aspirations, foster community cohesion and open up new opportunities. It's vital that we continue to lobby for the inclusion of the arts in the curriculum and inspire young people about careers both in front of and behind the curtain, regardless of their economic or cultural background.

The arts truly are a reminder of what makes Britain 'Great', and long may that continue.